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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. root — of a word
  3. pit — in a race
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to point toward
  6. lean — thin
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. spell — magic
  10. bound — tied together
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. root — of a plant
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bound — certain
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bound — obliged
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — letters
  22. root — the cause
  23. pit — a hole
  24. lean — to bend

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com